Device for controlling flow of finely divided solids



April 28, 1953 E. GORIN 2,636,642

DEVICE FOR coNTRoLLING FLOW 0F FINELY DIVIDED soLIDs Filed March 4. 195o 2 sx-xEETs-samz'r 1 I4 2gb 2s FLumlzlNG GAS 4 PICK-UP f l GAS INVENTOR LEVERETT sonm BY FIG. `D -V TTQRNEY new INVENTOR Evl-:RETT GoRm BY M09,

2 SI'IEETS-Sl-IEET 2 L 'ro 'MANOMETER l To MANQMETER ATTORNEY S D I S D E D I V I D m w .N.F RKO OW Gm EF m I m m O 2 C m F F E0 m% #fm1 9D l .4 om. m 2 u ,P M US. m .d v.A F H Patented Apr. 28,` 1953 DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING FLOW QF FINELY DIVIDED SOLIDS Everett Gorin, Whitehall, Pa., assigner to Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a. corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 4, 195o, serial No. 147,590

Claims.

The present invention relates to the art of controlling the ow of lnely `divided solid particles.

For many purposes, it iS desirable t0 transfer solids at a substantially constant rate. This is particularly true `of chemical reactions Where solid reactants are continuously fed to a reaction `zone in predetermined relative proportions. The rate of ovv `of these reactants which are in liquid or gaseous form is easily controllable. But considerable difficulty has been experienced in regulating the flow of nely `divided solds'so that a constant predetermined amount may be continuously introduced into a reaction Zone, thereby maintaining the proper relative proportions of the reactants for Optimum results.

The primary object of this invention is to provide `a method and apparatus for transferring finely divided solids at `a yconstant rate.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for supplying a stream of nely divided solid particles to a reaction zone at a .constant rate.

A still furtherobject of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus `for draining a fluidized bed of solid `particles at a constant rate.

According to my invention, the nely divided solids which eretto be transferred to a given point, as for example a reaction zone, are maintained in a duidized state by circulating a gas through a bed of solids under fluidizing conditions. A stream of the fluidized solids is Withdrawn from the bed through a conduit having therein a varable size orifice valve. As the level of solids in the vessel drops, the pressure .head on `the solids in the conduit decreases with the `result that the rate of flow of solids through the conduit would ordinarily progressively decline.

However, in accordance with my invention, the opening and closing of the orifice valve s regulated in response to the deviation of the actual pressure differential acrossthe bedfrom the pressure differential which corresponds toa `uniform and constant rate of solids withdrawal.

In the preferred embodiment of ymy invention,

4the actual pressure drop `across. the iluidized bed (Cl. Z22-F53) ment of the Iconducting element from the liquid breaks the electrical circuit Vwhich then serves to eect closing of the orifice valve. Thus the size of `the opening of the oriiice valve increases and decreases to permit the flow of solids at a rate corresponding to the predetermined Vrate established by the travelling conductingelement. The rate can readily be changed to any desired rate by merely changing the speed at which the travelling conducting element descends. The withdrawn solids, ilowing at a constantrate, are conveyed from the valved conduit to the treating zone.

For a better `understanding or my invention, its operation, other objects and advantages, refer-ence should be had to the following detailed description and to the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a partly diagrammatic and partly sectional illustration of a preferred embodiment of this invention, and

Figure 2 is an illustration partly diagrammatic and partly sectional `of a modification of this invention.

Referring to Figure l, a vessel l0, adapted to conne a fluidizedbed of solid particles i2, is provided with an inlet conduit I4 for `the introduc- Ationof nuidizing gases. A porous plate l5 is provided in the vessel to promote uniform distribution of the uidizing gases. Gases leave vessel l0, through a cyclone l-l and an exit line IB. `Solid particles entrained in overhead exit gases are returned to `the bed l2 through a cyclone leg 2U. A solids discharge conduit 22 conmects` the fluidized bed l2 with a solids :transfer conduit 24. A `Variable orifice valve 9.6 is inserted into conduit `22 and Vis controlled by a continuously operating motor 28 of a reversing type in such a manner that the `size of :the orice of valve 2S continuously `increases or decreases according `to the direction of rotation of the motor 28. The upper portion of reactor til is in open communica tion with one leg 30 cfa manometer 32 `through `a `pressure tap 3c and .the lower end of reactor I0 is in open communication `with the other les 36 `of manometerglZ throughs. pressurettap 33,` so that the :nanometer 32 is thereby aclaptedto indicate the pressure drop across thewfluidi-zed bed l2. The manometerf contains a `duid 39 which is capable `of conducting `an electrical current. For example, liquid mercury or an aqueous` solution of a strong electrolytemay be used.

Fitted into theolovv pressure leg .33 of manometer 32 is a rod lll capable of conducting an electrical current. `The electricallycondncting rod ce :is in` operative association with convenient means capable of driving the rod lill downwardly Within the low pressure leg 3i] of manometer 32 at a constant rate, such as small constant speed motor 42 and gear 44.

An electrical circuit is provided comprising a source of continuous 10W potential electromotive force, such as a battery It the electrically conducting rod 40, the manometer fluid 39 and a relay mechanism 4B, shown schematically. Relay mechanism 48 is designed to be in an activated state when the electrically conducting rod fi is in contact with the man-ometer fluid 39, thereby closing the electrical circuit. When the electrically conducting rod 40 is not in contact with the manometer fluid 39, the electrical circuit is broken and relay mechanism :i8 is in an inactivated state.

When relay 48 is in its activated state, motor 28 rotates in a direction which increases the size of the orifice of valve 25. When relay 43 is in its inactivated state, motor 48 rotates in the opposite direction which decreases the size of the orifice of valve 28.

To operate the apparatus by the method of this invention a bed I2 of finely divided solid particles is supplied to vessel Eil by means not shown. Fluidizing gas from any convenient source is introduced into vessel Iii through conduit I4 at a linear velocity which should be somewhat greater than the minimum fluidizing velocity, but not so great that excessive entrainment from or slugging in the bed is encountered. The exact velocity employed will depend on the nature of the solids and their sizes consist but in most cases will lie in the range of (Ll-1.0 feet/second.

Manometer uid 39 in manometer 32 indicates the pressure drop across the fluidized bed I2. The electrically conducting rod i0 is adjusted so that its tip just touches the surface of manometer fluid 39 in low pressure leg 3G of the manometer 32.

The orifice of valve 26 is set at an approximately half-Open position. Simultaneously motor 28 and constant speed motor 42 are set into operation. Solids begin to iiow from vessel I through discharge conduit 22 and through the orice of valve 26. The rod 40 begins t0 descend in low pressure leg 30 of manometer 32.`

Since the pressure drop across a uidized bed is a direct measure of the weight of solids in the bed and also since the pressure drop across the bed is indicated directly by the height of a manometer column connected across the bed, when the bed is drained of solids at a constant rate, the manometer` column measuring the pressure drop across the bed will descend at a constant rate.

Therefore, at any given level of the fluidized bed of solid particles in vessel IIJ, the manometer luid 39 in the low pressure leg 30 will reach a definite height H1, and When the desired quantity of solid particles has been drained from the bed I2, the height of the column of fluid will decrease to a value H2. The value of H1-H2 then is the total change in height of the column corresponding to the withdrawal of the desired quantity of solid particles from vessel I0. If this quantity of solid particles is to be Withdrawn at a constant rate, then the time required for the Withdrawal is Wt. of solids withdrawn desired rate of withdrawal The height of the column of manometer fluid 39 if the solids are drained uniformly from the 4 bed I2 at the desired rate, will decrease at the uniform rate of The driving mechanism for the electrically ccnducing rod 48 is designed to move the rod downwardly Within the 10W pressure leg 3i) at the rate Thus, if the solids are Withdrawn from the bed I2 continuously at the desired rate, the rod 40 will descend into the manometer leg 3D at the saine rate at which the column of manometer uid is descending in the same leg.

As solids are drained from vessel I through conduit 22 and valve 26, the motor 28 controlling the size of the orice of valve 26 is turning in a direction such that the size of the orifice of Valve 2t is continuously increasing because the electrically conducting rod 40 is in Contact with the manometer fluid 39 and the electrical circuit is closed causing the relay i8 to be in its activated state. However, because the orifice is continuously increasing, solids are being Withdrawn from vessel iii at an increasing rate, so that the column of manometer fluid is descending at a rate which exceeds the rate of descent of the rod lli?. Ultimately the column of manometer iiuid will pull away from the rod 48 and break the electrical circuit causing the relay 48 t0 become inactivated. In its inactivated state, the relay :iii causes the motor 28 to move in a reverse direction and decrease the size of the orice opening. Correspondingly, the rate at which solids are Withdrawn from vessel I0 decreases and the rate at which the column of manometer fluid descends will decrease until the rod 40, moving at a constant speed throughout, will make a contact With the manometer fluid, thereby closing the electrical circuit and activating relay 48. This cycle of operation will be repeated automatically until substantially all the desired solid particles have been Withdrawn from the vessel I0.

It will be observed that the instantaneous rate of solids withdrawal can vary within limits which are dependent upon the physical design of the manometer, the relay, the motor of the valve and the valve itself. However, the rate of solids Withdrawn averaged over any appreciable time interval will be a reproducible constant determined by the rate at Which the electrically conducting rod l0 is driven downwardly into the low pressure manometer leg.

To secure a greater sensitivity in the operation of my invention as a means of controlling ilow rates, it may be desirable to lengthen the distance through which the top of the column of manometer fluid moves While the bed is being discharged. It is obvious, of course, that the total change in height of an aqueous salt solution will be about 13.6 times the change occurring when mercury is used as the manometer fluid. But for a given fluid, the sensitivity of the method of my invention can be improved by providing a high pressure manometer leg with a diameter several times greater than that of the low pressure leg. Also the low pressure leg may be inclined from a vertical position to increase the change in column length.

Since the pressure drop across any bed of fluidized solids is subject to sudden surges, the effect of these pulses on the operation of the feeding method of my invention should be minimized by one of several methods. For example,

-may be of a slow acting type, requiring a positive and continued change in input impulse before `becoming activated or inactivated as the case may be.

It should be pointed out further that the constant rate of withdrawing solids from the uidized bed can be changed to a different constant rate by changing the constant speed at which the electrically conducting rod descends within the low pressure manometer leg to a correspondingly diiferent speed.

Alternately, instead of using a variable orifice valve with a reversing motor to achieve control over the rate of solids-withdrawal, it is possible to use a simple open-and-shut'position valve in withdrawal line 22, or such that when relay mechanism Dit is in its activated state, the valve is` in its open position, and, when the relay mechanism is inactivated, the valve is closed,

A still different variation is in the use of a twoposition valve in withdrawal conduit 22 such that in one position, the orice of the valve is of such size that solids are withdrawn at average rate exceeding the desired rate, but in the other position, the solids aie withdrawn at an average rate which is less than the desired rate.

In the modication of my invention shown in Figure 2, a iluidzed vessel Gil is iitted with two discharge conduits (i2 and Kili. A manually adjustable valve 6B is inserted in conduit 62 and is positioned so that its orifice will permit the passage of solid particles through conduit [i2 at slightly less than the desired withdrawal rate, for example, about 90 per cent of the desired rate. Conduit @d is a compensating withdrawal line and is ntted with a valve 58 operated by a reversing motor 'lll which will permit the passage of solid particles at a rate varying from Zero in its closed position to about 30 per cent of the desired bed withdrawal rate in its fully open position.

Solids are discharged continuously from vessel 60 through conduit 62, are picked up by a stream of carrying gas in conduit 'l2 and transported, suspended in carrier gas, through conduit "i2, Additional solids are discharged from vessel through conduit 5A; to compensate for the difference between the rate at which solids discharge through conduit E2 and the` desired withdrawal rate. The motor l@ controlling the orice of valve 63 is itself controlled by a relay mechanism of the type and in the manner described in connection with the apparatus of Figure l.

Thus, it is possible to provide any number of discharge conduits from the uidized vessel and all or any number of these conduits may be iitted with controlled valves in accordance with my invention.

It should be evident that the method and apparatus of this invention can be reversed. That is, the electrically conducting rod can be inserted into the high pressure leg of the inanorneter and caused to rise at a constant rate within said high pressure leg during the solids withdrawal period. 1f the high pressure leg is used as the control point, it will be necessary to reverse the operation of the relay mechanism controlling the motor on the variable orice valve in the discharge conduit.

The method and apparatus of my present invention, although contemplated primarily for use in feeding solid particles at la-constant rate at substantially atmospheric pressure, can nevertheless be used to control the iiow of solid particles at elevated pressures. Moreover, the operation of apparatus according to my method is independent of the temperature of the solid particles whose feed rate is to be controlled.

Since the withdrawal operation, according to my invention, is necessarily batchwise, an installation of two or more units can be provided to function in parallel in a cyclical manner to pro- 'vide overall a continuous stream of solid particles at a constant rate. i

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle, preferred f' construction, and mode of operation of myinvention and have illustrated and described what l now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, l desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim: i

l. An apparatus for feeding at a constant rate finely divided particles of'solid material from a fluidized bed through a variable orifice valve into a gasV stream which comprises in'combination a iriaricmeter containing an electrically conducting manometer duid and which is adapted to indicate the pressure drop across said iluidized bed, an electrically conducting rod, means for driving said rod downwardly at a constant rate within the low pressure leg of said manometer in a direction coextensive with the direction of descent of said :nanometer iiuid, and an electrical circuit compricing said electrically conducting rod, said manometer fluid, a source of continuous low potential electroinotive force and a relay, said relay being adapted to increase the size of the oriiice of said variable orice valve when said electrical circuit is closed and to decrease the size of said orifice when said electrical circuit is broken.

2. An apparatus for withdrawing solid particles at a constant rate from a fluidized bed of finely divided solid particles which comprises a conduit communicating with said iiuidized bed, means for varying the flow of solid particles from said fiuidized bed through said conduit, `means for measuring the pressure drop of the fluidizing gas through said fluidized bed, means for indicating the pressure drop of a iiuidizing gas through said fluidized bed corresponding to a predetermined uniform withdrawal of solids from said bed, and an electrical circuit responsive to deviations between said measured pressure drop and said indicated pressure drop, said electrical circuit being adapted to regulate said means for varying the flow of solid particles in accordance with said deviations.

3. An apparatus for feeding at a constant rate finelyl divided particles of solid material from a fluidized bed of said solid particles, comprising a conduit communicating with said fluidized bed, a motor operated variable orifice valve in said conduit, a manometer adapted to indicate the pressure drop across said i'luidized bed, said manometer containing an electrically conducting manometer fluid, an electrically conducting rod, means for driving said rod downwardly within the low pressure leg of said manometer at a constant speed, an electrical circuit comprising said manometer iiuid, said rod, a source of low potential electromotive force and a relay, said relay adapted to be activated when said rod is in contact with 'said manometer iluid and adapted in its activated state to drive the motor of said motor operated valve in a direction which increases the size of the orifice of said motor operated valve, said relay also adapted to be in an inactivated state when said rod is not in contact with said manometer iluid and adapted in its inactivated state to operate said motor on said motor operated valve in a direction which decreases the size of the orifice of said variable orice valve 4. An apparatus for withdrawing solid particles at a constant rate from a uidized bed of finely divided solid particles which comprises a plurality of conduits communicating with said bed, means for varying the flow of solid particles through at least one of said conduits, means for measuring the pressure drop of the fluidizing gas through said fluidized bed, means for indicating Athe pressure drop of a iiuidizing gas through said .luidized bed corresponding to a predetermined uniform withdrawal of solids from said bed, and

an electrical circuit responsive to deviations between said measured pressure drop and said indicated pressure drop, said electrical circuit be-v ing adapted to regulate said means for varying the flow of solid particles in accordance with said deviations.

5. An apparatus for feeding at a constant rate nely divided particles of solid material from a fluidized bed of said solid particles, comprising a conduit communicating with said fluidized bed, a valve having a variable orifice for varying the flow of solids through said conduit, a manometer adapted to indicate the pressure drop of the fluidizing gases through said fluidized bed, said manometel` containing an electrically conducting manometer iiuid, an electrically conducting rod, means for driving said rod downwardly within the low pressure leg of said manometer at a constant speed, an electrical circuit comprising said manometer fluid, said rod, and a source of low potential electromotive force, said electrical circuit being operatively associated with said valve to regulate the iiow of solids through said conduit in accordance with the deviations between the height of manometer fluid and the level of said rod.

EVERETT GORIN.

References cited in the sie of this patent UNITED sTATEs PATENTS Number Name Date 998,647 Smith July 25, 1911 1,212,168 Cornish Jan. 16, 1917 1,628,404 Heuermann May 10, 1927 1,664,265 Rieber Mar. 27, 1928 1,983,093 Montgomery Dec. 4, 1934 2,475,984 Owen July 12, 1949 2,502,953 Jahnig Apr. 4, 1950 

